24 research outputs found
Supporting evidences for potential biomarkers of endometriosis detected in peripheral blood
No full textAbstractIncidence of endometriosis is very high in women in the reproductive age (around 10%). To date, a reliable non-invasive diagnostic test for early diagnosis of endometriosis is not available. In this article we describe the potential value as diagnostic markers for endometriosis of two proteins (serum albumin and complement C3 precursor), previously identified as differentially expressed in women with endometriosis respect to healthy control by 2D gel analysis. A detailed description of the results obtained with this proteomic approach can be found in Signorile and Baldi [1]. ELISAs were performed on a large cohort of endometriosis (n=100) and healthy patients (n=10) to establish the differential expression of the identified proteins. ROC analyses confirmed the statistical significance of the differential expression of these proteins: serum albumin (p=0.028) ad complement C3 precursor (p=0.082). Evaluation of these two proteins, together with the already described Zn-alpha2-glycoprotein [1], could help in the early identification of endometriosis patient
New Insights in Pathogenesis of Endometriosis
No full textEndometriosis is a gynecological disease characterized by the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. The incidence of the disease is very high, there are currently no reliable early diagnostic tests, the therapies are only symptomatic and, consequently, the social impact of endometriosis is very important, also considering the related fertility problems. Despite this, the pathogenesis of endometriosis is still not fully defined. Retrograde menstruation and coelomic metaplasia are currently the most recognized pathogenetic hypotheses. Recent experimental evidences generated by our research group and by others have indicated an alteration of the fine-tuning of the female genital system developmental program during a critical window of time in the fetal life as the pathogenetic event prompting to the development of endometriosis later in life. Goal of this article is to present a revision of the recent literature about the different pathogenetic mechanisms proposed for endometriosis with particular emphasis on the embryologic theory. The possible clinical and pathological implications of these findings will be discussed
Novel dietary supplement association reduces symptoms in endometriosis patients
No full textEndometriosis is characterized by disabling symptoms that afflict young women with severe physical discomfort, difficulty in relationship life, and infertility; however, the currently available therapeutic strategies are unsatisfactory. Goal of this research was to identify a new combination of natural active ingredients that, administered as dietary supplements, could have the effect of reducing inflammatory response in endometriosis patients, decreasing the symptoms the disease produces and its harmful effects on affected organs. A cohort of endometriosis patient was treated for three months with a composition including quercitin, curcumin, parthenium, nicotinamide, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and omega 3/6. Using a VAS scale, we demonstrated a significant reduction of the symptoms in endometriosis patients treated with the dietary composition respect to the controls. Moreover, we demonstrated also a significant reduction in the serum levels of PGE2 and CA-125. Further study are required to compare the effect of this combination of molecules with standard therapies and to evaluate if the use of these dietary supplements in combination with standard therapies may lead to the improvement of the regular medical treatment for endometriosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Endometriosis is characterized by disabling symptoms that afflict young women with severe physical discomfort, difficulty in relationship life, and infertility; however, the currently available therapeutic strategies are unsatisfactory. Goal of this research was to identify a new combination of natural active ingredients that, administered as dietary supplements, could have the effect of reducing inflammatory response in endometriosis patients, decreasing the symptoms the disease produces and its harmful effects on affected organs. A cohort of endometriosis patient was treated for 3 months with a composition including quercitin, curcumin, parthenium, nicotinamide, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and omega 3/6. Using a VAS scale, we demonstrated a significant reduction of the symptoms in endometriosis patients treated with the dietary composition respect to the controls. Moreover, we demonstrated also a significant reduction in the serum levels of PGE2 and CA-125. Further study are required to compare the effect of this combination of molecules with standard therapies and to evaluate if the use of these dietary supplements in combination with standard therapies may lead to the improvement of the regular medical treatment for endometriosis
Differential Expression in Endometriosis Tissue versus Endometrium of the Uterine Adenogenesis Factors PRL-R, GH, IGF1, and IGF2
No full textEndometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial glandular and stromal structures outside the uterine cavity. It is an inflammatory estrogen dependent disease characterized by gene polymorphisms. This is a very frequent pathology and represents one of the most important causes of infertility, as well as having an important level of morbidity in patients. Recently, an alteration of the processes of organogenesis of the uterus has been proposed as a pathogenetic mechanism of endometriosis. In this article we have compared the expression in deep endometriotic lesions and in normal endometrial tissue of some of the molecular factors known to be involved in the embryonic development of the uterine glands. In detail, we found by immunohistochemistry a significant higher expression both for epithelium and stroma in the controls respect to the endometriosis samples for insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1) and IGF2, whereas for the prolactin receptor (PRL-R), this result was detected only for the epithelium. On the other hand, we found for growth hormone (GH) a significant higher expression in the epithelium of endometriosis samples respect to the controls. The correlation data generated can give indications on some of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the adenogenesis and survival of endometriosis structures outside of the uterus
Anti-mullerian hormone is expressed by endometriosis tissues and induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in endometriosis cells
No full textBackground: The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, which is responsible of the regression of the mullerian duct. AMH is expressed in the normal endometrium, where, acting in a paracrine fashion, negatively regulates cellular viability. Our objective was to evaluate the in vitro effects of the treatment with AMH of endometriosic cells. Methods. AMH expression in human endometriosis glands was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RT-PCR has been used to quantify the expression levels of AMH and AMH RII isoforms, as well as of cytochrome P450 in both endometriosis epithelial and stromal cells Effects of AMH and AMH-cleaved treatment in endometriosis cells were evaluated by flow-cytometry analysis. Finally, it has been evaluated the effect of plasmin-digested AMH on cytochrome P450 activity. Results: AMH and AMH RII isoforms, as well as cytochrome P450, were expressed in both endometriosis epithelial and stromal cells. Treatment of endometriosis stromal and epithelial cell growth with AMH was able to induce a decrease in the percentage of cells in S phase and increase percentage of cells in G1 and G2 phase; coherently, decreased cell viability and increased percentage of cells death fraction was observed. The plasmin-digested AMH was able to suppress most of the cytochrome P450 activity, causing an increase of pre-G1 phase and of apoptosis induction treating with plasmin-digested AMH in both cell lines, most marked in the epithelial cells. Conclusions: The data produced suggest a possible use of AMH as therapeutic agents in endometriosis. © 2014 Signorile et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
A Tissue Specific Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agent, Gd-AMH, for Diagnosis of Stromal Endometriosis Lesions: A Phase I Study
No full textThe anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a homodimeric glycoprotein member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, is secreted by Sertoli cells in the embryonic testes and is responsible of the regression of the mullerian duct. The physiological functions of this protein remain largely unknown, and its expression in human tissues has yet to be completely determined. Firstly, we analyzed AMH expression in human tissues by immunohistochemistry. AMH was distributed in many organs, although with different tissue and cell localization and various expression levels; we also demonstrated strong AMH expression in endometriosis tissues. Secondly, we demonstrated the ability of an anti-AMH antibody, labeled with gadiolinium, to be directly detected by magnetic resonance in small endometriosis lesions (5mm in diameter) in vivo in a mouse model. In conclusion, our data suggest that based on its expression pattern, AMH may serve to maintain physiological cellular homeostasis in different human tissues and organs. Moreover, it is strongly expressed in endometriosis lesions as a selective tissue specific contrast agent for in vivo detection of stromal endometriosis lesions. The potential significance of these findings could be further validated in a clinical setting. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1270-1275, 2015
Histological and Immunohistochemical Characterization of a Case of Endometriosis in a Guinea Pig (Cavia tschudii)
No full textEndometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by the ectopic proliferation of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. The pathogenesis of this disease is still obscure, and Sampson’s theory of retrograde menstruation is still the most widely accepted explanation. Endometriosis in animals has been so far described not only in baboons and a rhesus macaque but also in dogs and horses that are nonmenstruating animals. In this article, we report the histological and immunohistochemical characterization of the first case of ovarian cystic endometriosis and adenomyosis in a guinea pig. The case presented supports the hypothesis that endometriosis is a disease not at all related to the phenomenon of retrograde menstruation but is a consequence of some alterations in the morphogenesis of the female genital system and therefore it could be found in any mammal. We suggest considering endometriosis among the other pathological phenotypes in animals displaying ovarian and uterine alterations and having a history of difficulties in conceiving
tau; and HGF in Endometriosis Tissue Respect to Eutopic Endometrium: An Immunohistochemical Study
No full text: Endometriosis is a pathological condition defined by the occurrence of endometrial glandular and stromal structures in anatomical compartments different from the uterine cavity. Endometriosis is a genetic polymorphism, estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease. This very common pathological entity causes a high level of morbidity in patients; it is also considered one of the most important causes of infertility. We and others have proposed as a pathogenetic mechanism of endometriosis a modification in the fine tuning of the processes of organogenesis of the uterus. We have correlated the immunohistochemical expression in deep endometriotic lesions and in normal endometrial tissue of several molecular factors that are implicated in the embryonic development of the uterine glands. We noticed a significant higher expression both for epithelium and stroma in the controls respect to the endometriosis samples for FGF7, FGF-10 and HGF. Interestingly, regarding FGF-23 and IFN-τ, we observed a significant higher expression in the ectopic endometrial stroma compared to the eutopic endometrium, while thepithetlium expression did not display a significant differential expression in endometriosis tissues respect to normal endometrium. The data generated support the fact that endometriosis tissues, both the epithelial and stromal component, have a different phenotype respect to the eutopic endometrium and sustain the hypothesis that alterations in the molecular mechanisms in control for adenogenesis and survival of endometrial structures are linked to the genesis and survival of endometriosis lesions outside of the uterus
Pathogenesis of Endometriosis: Focus on Adenogenesis-related Factors
No full text: Endometriosis can be defined as the presence of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity. It affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and causes infertility, chronic pain, and deterioration of the quality of life. Since the identification of the disease, various pathogenetic mechanisms have been proposed, such as retrograde menstruation, coelomic metaplasia, hormonal imbalance, stem cell involvement, and alterations in epigenetic regulation. However, the underlying pathogenesis of endometriosis remains inadequately understood. Elucidation of the precise mechanism of the development and progression of endometriosis is crucial for effective treatment. This review presents the major pathogenetic theories of endometriosis based on current research studies with a major focus on the potential role of uterine factors
